NACDL

I remember the exact moment I met Amy. We were in a small break-out room in Atlanta, it was 1989. It was something called “advanced cross” sponsored by the National Criminal Defense College. Mario Conte went around the room asking people to introduce themselves and tell a little bit about their trial experience. Amy was sitting to my left and spoke first.  

My name is Amy Seidman. I work for New York Legal Aid and I have tried 40 cases, though none of them were capital cases.  

The woman with the perfect handwriting and small waist slid a note in front of me that read, “Try to breathe. If you pass out, you’ll just have to go last. Mario Conte works with Judy Clarke and they do push-ups before office meetings!”

The rest of the day was a blur. During a break, I made Amy promise to never leave me alone in the hands of these torturers and to simply tell my parents, “It was a quick and painless death. She jumped out of the window before the ‘long exercise’ and please don’